In an archery bow, lateral guidance or windage of an arrow to the target is provided by a pressure point on a vertical surface called the sight window or riser of the archery bow. Vertical guidance or elevation is also provided by a pressure point which is commonly called the arrow rest.
Since the archery bow is an ancient weapon, numerous devices have been evolved to function as an arrow rest. Of these, the simplest has been the incorporation of an approximately 90.degree. notch on the bow of which the horizontal surface was known as a shelf or arrow shelf. The arrow shelf provided adequate guidance of the arrow, but allowed the fletching of the arrow to collide with both the horizontal self and the vertical surface of the bow known as the sight window or riser. This collision of the fletching causes a deflection of the flight of the arrow and a corresponding loss of accuracy of the bow. It also damages the arrow fletching, particularly after repeated shooting of the same arrow. Numerous arrow rests have been developed with move support of the arrow above the shelf and often even away from the vertical riser.
Several prior-art arrow rests have been devised and manufactured that support the arrow during drawing and aiming, but which rotate forward by both friction of the moving arrow and by collision with the fletching following the launching of the arrow. These effectively reduce the inherent deflection of arrow flight caused by other arrow rests. However, all of these forward pivoting arrow rests have inherently designed physical appendages which limit their rearward rotation, frequently including a lever engaging a spring. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,769,956. Consequently, they are inherently fragile and can easily be damaged or destroyed by an accidental force applied in a rearward direction.
Those who are skilled in the art recognize that bows are often used in a harsh outdoor environment where opportunities are prevalent to accidentally damage or destroy a pivoting-type arrow rest.